What Are The Warning Signs And Causes Of Piriformis Syndrome?

Tingling Or Numbness

Piriformis syndrome patients often experience the symptoms of tingling or numbness as a result of the effect the muscle has on their sciatic nerve. Numerous mechanisms can cause the piriformis muscle to press down and compress an individual's sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is responsible for providing sensation in the buttocks, thighs, calves, and feet, with the transmission of signals to and from the spinal cord and brain. When an individual's piriformis muscle squeezes on the sciatic nerve, the nerve impulse signals between these regions can become disrupted or impaired in transit. When signals cannot make it from the tissues of the leg back to the brain, a patient can experience sensations of numbness that occur in an isolated region, or that affect a large part of the leg. When the nerve transmissions get disrupted, only some of these impulses make it back to the brain. Partial or broken up signals that involve sensation in the limbs can cause the patient to experience tingling. This feeling is the same as what occurs when a limb falls asleep. Numbness and tingling are commonly the very first manifestation of piriformis syndrome an affected individual notices.

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